Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

1714 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is knowledge according to plato

When we study the nature of epistemology and what it hopes to grant us through the investigation of it, it is hard, if not altogether impossible to avoid reading Plato’s Meno. In it, Plato uses the characterized forms of his teacher, Socrates, and Meno, a reputable but ignorant follower of Gorgias to create a dialogue heavily reliant on Socrates’ teaching proficiencies to help Meno comprehend the questions he is asking, or rather, the questions he should be asking. Meno begins by asking Plato whether virtue can be taught (70a, 354). It is soon clear that not only does neither man have a solid definition of virtue, but Meno ultimately doesn’t understand how someone can be taught to begin with. It is in his sudden confusion that he asks Plato …show more content…

Sure, Plato does say that the soul’s knowledge must be recollected and is not inherently present, but then, can we know anything other than what the soul knows? By this I mean: If the soul knows everything and all truths, and yet a human can know something as the truth that is not the truth, how is this possible? I’m not wholly sure if this observation has any weight to it, but I believe it worth …show more content…

These two terms will come to help Grene rationalize her previous statement: “First, a negative point. If we insist that all cognitive acts are wholly explicit, that we can know only what is plainly, or even verbally, at the centre of our attention, then indeed, we can not escape the puzzlement of Meno’s question” (23), and they will teach us two different categories of knowledge, as Polanyi has divided and titled them respectfully: “knowledge by attending to” and “knowledge by relying on”. By separating them, he is arguing that no knowledge can be wholly focal, so it can only be true that the subsidiary awareness must always contribute to the process of knowing or having knowledge, meaning that nothing is truly objective, but everything is subjective. Obviously, he and Grene are here arguing against Plato’s goal of creating knowledge as something that can only be achieved if one is truly and utterly objective because, frankly, if we are to accept this idea of knowledge as true, then it must be impossible for humans to ‘know’ anything at all. We do not, after all, live in Plato’s

Show More
Related

  • Response To The Allegory Of The Cave

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Allegory of the Cave by Plato, shows the contrast between sense experience and rationalism. The story explains that in the cave where some people have known nothing of the outside world and can only comprehend what they see based on what little they do know of their cave. The people have come to the conclusion what the shapes represent and what causes them and believe it to be correct and thus believe it as the reality of the world. However what they don’t know is that this is not the world and what they will soon find out is that the things they once saw with their eyes what they smelt, what they heard, what they felt were just shadows of real images and objects cast on the wall by fire. What this does is show that sense experience can be at fault because the one perceiving is at times is ignorant of the fact that they know nothing of the true reality of the world and its workings. One must be showed how things are in order to learn and thus no longer be ignorant but have now begun taking steps towards wisdom.

    Read More

  • Runaway Statues: Platonic Lessons on the Limits of an Analogy

    3244 Words  | 7 Pages

    Plato's best-known distinction between knowledge and opinion occurs in the Meno. The distinction rests on an analogy that compares the acquisition and retention of knowledge to the acquisition and retention of valuable material goods. But Plato saw the limitations of the analogy and took pains to warn against learning the wrong lessons from it. In the next few pages I will revisit this familiar analogy with a view to seeing how Plato both uses and distances himself from it.

    Read More

  • Comparing Plato, James Madison, and John Mills

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Plato's The Republic he discuses the idea that there is first knowledge at the first degree. In the second degree there is opinion which is neither proven to be true or false. In the last degree is falsehood. He argues that opinion is not pure knowledge and therefore can not be pure truth. Plato goes on to say, "But surely when a man is deceived in his own mind we can fairly call his ignorance of the truth "true falsehood". For a false statement is merely some kind of representation of a state of mind, an expression consequent on it, and not the original unadulterated falsehood." This is also true for pure knowledge. The truth we believe in our own mind is true to us; it's called our opinion. This shows that in order to form pure knowledge we have to voice the truth that is in our mi...

    Read More

  • Inaccessief Theory: Plato's Concept Of Knowledge

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life without knowledge would be worthless. Talking about knowledge what i mean is knowledge about something. The description of the state of some object is knowledge. The object may be either abstract or physical. Some examples of abstract things include memory, feelings and time. But how we obtain knowledge? Many philosophers tried to find an adequate answer to this question. They came up with so many theories summarizing the process of knowledge. But none of them all was able to state a clear definition of pure knowledge. One of those philosophers is Plato. In this essay I am going to discuss the concept of knowledge according to Plato’s philosophic conception of knowledge. I will clarify what knowledge is not perception. And from this I will move to explain the justified true belief theory. Then I will show the lack in this theory by referring to counterexamples: the Gettier cases. To end up with a conclusion that states what is my understanding of the process of knowledge.

    Read More

  • Plato's Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    The irrational concept of the education has been influenced moral principles concerning what is good for a society as well as for an individual; however, the understanding of the intrinsic nature of the education removes the darkness of beliefs, which Plato calls prisoners’ shadows in his writing The Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a dialogue between Glaucon and Socrates. Although “The Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” was written thousands of years ago, Plato’s depiction of the true education is a wakeup call for our humanity to admit the acquisition of knowledge with circumspection. The truth often relies on a mistaking understanding of sight or shadow according to Plato; the truth regularly relies on prejudice which makes an individual a prisoner, and the discovery of new truth often encounters hostility. A close analysis of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave allows us to view the education as not a way to transfer knowledge, but a way to transform

    Read More

  • Meno's Paradox

    2022 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is thought that Meno's paradox is of critical importance both within Plato's thought and within the whole history of ideas. It's major importance is that for the first time on record, the possibility of achieving knowledge from the mind's own resources rather than from experience is articulated, demonstrated and seen as raising important philosophical questions.

    Read More

  • Plato Apology, Crito And Meno

    1825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the early dialogues, Plato draws comparisons between virtue and knowledge. These Socratic dialogues often refer to virtue “as an expertise (science, art, craft)” like any other that requires more than simple knowledge of how to but also an ability to explain or

    Read More

  • Plato Meno's Paradox

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    Right after Socrates comments how they can both look for virtue, Meno gives him these questions: “How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it, how will you know that this is the thing you did not know (80d)?” This is Meno’s paradox which explains the discovery of knowledge is impossible and if you do not know what you are learning, and that you cannot discover it either. Meno states in his first premise that you either know what knowledge is or you don’t, and whether you do know it or not, you cannot discover what that piece of knowledge is. This,

    Read More

  • Socrates Vs Meno Essay

    365 Words  | 1 Pages

    Or is it not teachable but the result of practice, or is it neither of these, but men possess it by nature or in some other way?” (Meno, Plato p.871, 70a). This sets the stage for the investigation that follows as it prompts Socrates and Meno to collectively define virtue, if virtue is in fact a type of knowledge and if so, if it can be taught. Socrates and Meno are the main characters but additional characters, the slave boy and Anytus, are introduced to attempt to illustrate recollection as a means of gaining knowledge and determine if there are teachers of virtue, and if so, who. The dialogue ends just as abruptly when Socrates concludes “virtue appears to be present in those of us who may possess it as a gift from the gods” (Meno p.897, 100b), disregarding virtue as a type of

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Socrates And Plato's View On Human Life

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    However, Meno poses a question which Socrates classifies as the “debater’s argument”. The argument goes like this, “How will you look for it, Socrates, when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet it, how will you know that this is the thing that you did not know” (Plato 70)? Meno questions how will they know what they are looking for if they have no previous idea of what it is, and if they find it how will they know that. Because they have no idea of what it is that they are looking for Meno believes that even if they do come across the true meaning of virtue they will have no way of knowing that they have. Socrates counters this argument by inserting his idea of the immortal soul. Socrates states that we all have an immortal soul, which already has all the knowledge that we as man need. However, we as man simply need to discover the knowledge within us. As a result of this concept of the immortal soul, Socrates believes that once they encounter what they are looking for they will know they have found

    Read More

  • what is knowledge

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many philosophers have inquired about what is knowledge. Most believe that knowledge is attained by being taught, and not suppressed in our mind since birth. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates argues in favor of the pre existing knowledge, that knowledge is essentially suppressed, and is brought to light through questioning. The argument, which comes from this view of “knowledge”, is that if you know what it is you are inquiring about, you don’t need to inquire, because you already know. However, if you do not know what it is you are inquiring about, you are unable to inquire, because you do not know what you inquiring. One outcome about this view is Plato’s rejection of the claim that knowledge is derived from experience. However when you look at the scene between Meno, Socrates and the slave boy, you can see some flaws in this thinking. Plato uses Socrates’ experiment where he asks one of Meno’s slave boys to demonstrate this theory of recalling knowledge by using geometry. In some cases Socrates’ questions are almost leading the slave boy into the answer. Socrates’ places obvious questions in front of the boy that can be recognized immediately. Also, opposite to Plato’s views, I believe that knowledge can be obtained through other means, and not only through questioning and recollection. In the experiment, Socrates guides a slave through a series of geometric proofs to show that the slave already possessed this knowledge and, therefore, that “learning” is not acquiring but recolle...

    Read More

  • Plato vs Aristotle

    1826 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...nses while Plato only trusted his reason. Plato felt that only with our reason could we understand and obtain true knowledge. We can only have ‘opinions’ about what we experience with our senses. He only trusted his reason because “we cannot always trust the evidence of our senses. The faculty of vision can vary from person to person.”(Gaarder 86) He also did not trust the sense because he felt we couldn’t have “true knowledge of something that is in constant state of change.”(Gaarder 85) He trusted reason because he felt reason was the same for every person. Plato only trusts his reason and does not believe what he experiences with his senses while Aristotle felt that experiencing things with our sense is the highest degree of reality and believed all our knowledge comes from what we experienced with our senses. Plato and Aristotle’s theories on metaphysical topics, of ‘forms’ and what is reality are very different and completely opposite.

    Read More

  • Allegory Of The Cave Essay

    775 Words  | 2 Pages

    In book seven of ‘The Republic’, Plato presents possibly one of the most prominent metaphors in Western philosophy to date titled ‘Allegory of the Cave’.

    Read More

  • Plato’s vs. Aristotle’s Theory of Knowledge

    1555 Words  | 4 Pages

    Philosophy has guided great thinkers towards obtaining a radical grasp on the world. Masterminds like these are born, grow up, and die; yet, their theories tend to impact humanity’s perception of the world. We call them philosophers, although geniuses such as Plato and Aristotle are the leading examples of understanding simple, but uncovered questions that make up our character. For example, what is life? This is a popular question that people have asked themselves from the moment reason kicks in. What is eudaimonia? A question with a valid response answered by the Aristotelian thought into Christianity; which is said to be achieved though the virtuous life. But in fact, these questions can’t compare with the theory of knowledge that’s perceived from multiple points of views by the Pre-Socratics. Epistemology is a word philosophers use to define knowledge. Nevertheless, Plato and Aristotle’s theory of knowledge led our generation to visualize and interpret ourselves in a defined way. Their two different views in knowledge share a common idea, which is that knowledge must be based on a systematic method. Without their guidance, our ability to grasp our doubts would become untenable. I will present their theories of knowledge by comparing and contrasting Plato and Aristotle’s theory of knowledge. They both had many differences, but they came together on simple things. Their vibrant thinking in the world unraveled mysteries that come together to this day.

    Read More

  • Plato's Theory Of Knowledge Summary

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    Plato believes there is two types of worlds that are of knowledge and opinion. As he understands, what is an every lasting reality is a true knowledge, which is the heart of what needs to be understood and everything people need to know. As he says for opinion, it will be only successful some times, as knowledge will always be right and successful at all times when implemented. An opinion for him has no base on true knowledge, but pure people’s speculations of their points of views. A true knowledge will never be influenced by any changes and it cannot be affected by anything; it will stand alone without changing. In Plato’s argument of how men will acquire knowledge in life, he says that knowledge resides in men’s immortal soul prior to his birth; this is how men will first encounter what he calls the “Forms” in that

    Read More

More about Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

Open Document